Scripting, Mapping, or Spriting?

[Hiche..]

Introduction:


Every ROM hacker should have a specific skill in order to start a hack. Some make teams with various members, who can help in the hack.

Here you can discuss what is your best, and strongest skill, and add why do you do it, and what does it offer.
Surely, mapping, scripting, and spriting are different from each other, because each skill requires a technique.

Also, you can post how you started developing this skill, and who gave you the inspiration to do it.

An example of how to post:

Example:

My strongest skill is scripting. I think it's the most necessary skill for a hack to be "A ROM hack". A small edit in the scripts is nothing, whereas major changes, such as the hacks in the Hacks Showcase section, give the hack a lot of uniqueness. When I read thethethethe's tutorial for the first time, I really wanted to try scripting. I stayed hours looking over the tutorial, until I began understanding it. Now, I can script very good, thanks to the knowledge, thethethethe and some other scripters, gave me.

Thank you,
Hiche

 

[Satoshi Sugimori]

Well my strongest skill is mapping, I started mapping because it was the most fun thing to do of making a hack [in my opinion] and I really enjoyed it. The most inspiration that I had for my maps were just movies, nature :P etc. etc. I didn't really looked up to someone for mapping...

I will also tell you about my second strongest skill Scripting, I started scripting because I just wanted to make a hack for my own and not making maps for other hacks, So I started searching finding nothing but Frank$ors scripting tut on the dutch forum I started, then I looked at the bottom of that post and I thought Hey! thethethethe? let's google him :P I googled and I came out on the pokecommunity! there I found lot's of scripting tutorials, I mostly learned of PokeWitches and Thethethethe's tutorial, then I started making my own hacks and helped making other hacks, then I started working on Rocket's Revenge with Earthsvisitor, I was also working on Breakdown atm, and EarthsVisitor learned me alot in scripting! And that's how I became the person I am now :P

Whoohoo First post :p

 

[Banjora Marxvile]

I wouldn't say I'm strongest in any of them...

I was strongest at mapping. I know its not the most important thing for a map, but it allows the shape of the hack to appear, and the scripts can then be made around the map. I mapped because... Well... I don't know why I started. Probably after seeing all the good maps in hacks, I was inspired. However, as I am now out of practice, my attentions have turned to inserting tiles. I was inspired as it made the maps better to look at, and I wanted to use Kyledove's tiles.

 

[Cy-Chan]

I'll say scripting. To me, it's simply the most fun.

 

[Chimchar 9]

i would say mapping because i really enjoy it and im great at it !
how i became a good mapper - well i was looking at foullumps maps and started to make great maps like his.

my second strongest is tile inserting , why?
because i love to give the hack awsome graphics + look cool !

 

[Hiche..]

Well my strongest skill is mapping, I started mapping because it was the most fun thing to do of making a hack [in my opinion] and I really enjoyed it. The most inspiration that I had for my maps were just movies, nature :P etc. etc. I didn't really looked up to someone for mapping...

I will also tell you about my second strongest skill Scripting, I started scripting because I just wanted to make a hack for my own and not making maps for other hacks, So I started searching finding nothing but Frank$ors scripting tut on the dutch forum I started, then I looked at the bottom of that post and I thought Hey! thethethethe? let's google him :P I googled and I came out on the pokecommunity! there I found lot's of scripting tutorials, I mostly learned of PokeWitches and Thethethethe's tutorial, then I started making my own hacks and helped making other hacks, then I started working on Rocket's Revenge with Earthsvisitor, I was also working on Breakdown atm, and EarthsVisitor learned me alot in scripting! And that's how I became the person I am now :P

Whoohoo First post :p

Yea, I see you have to skills that you're talented in. I hope you will improve even better.

 

[4768fitz]

well im best at mapping because it is great when you see a town/ route finished

 

[Surf]

I better at scripting
When i saw all the thing that you can do with good scripting I had a look at pokemon genisis where i saw the mother of all great scripting
So then i read a couple of XSE tutorials i learned how to adapt Pokescript to XSE

 

[-DarK-]

My strongest skill would be scripting.

It was basically the first thing that attracted me, when I found out about hack tools and such. I stared hours and hours at Irish Witch's posts (back then, before XSE even was planned), trying to make scripts, failing, and trying again.
I also like it the most, it's just simple fun :)

-DarK-

 

[Hiche..]

I better at scripting
When i saw all the thing that you can do with good scripting I had a look at pokemon genisis where i saw the mother of all great scripting
So then i read a couple of XSE tutorials i learned how to adapt Pokescript to XSE

I agree. Pokemon Genesis carries the greatest scripts. The author of the hack is a very advanced scripter, too.

 

[Ninja Caterpie]

My best...I don't really have a best. I can map really well, in other people's opinions, and my scripts are pretty good. Well, it's just really fun to see a hack with brand new scripts and maps, right? Well, it feels even better if you did the whole thing. :D Yeah, I got inspired into hacking when I saw all the cool hacks and, well, I started scripting because I didn't really want to rely on other people to help, as well as I realised that other people scripting probably wouldn't make the scripts exactly as I'd like them. And then there was Genesis. Can't forget Genesis.

 

[Dratii]

My strongest is probably mapping. Mapping was the first thing I learnt and my scripting is slowly getting better. I enjoy them both equally but some times I get frustrated when I a working on a script for hours and do you know what happens nothing.

 

[TB Pro]

Okay here goes.

#1 - Mapping.
~ When I first got into ROM hacking, the only thing I saw, was mapping. I found out about A-Map, and downloaded it ASAP. I began to work secluded mapping. At first the maps I cranked out were...bad-ish. I posted them on the Map Rating Thread, and REALLY listened to the people's tips. I took them to heart, and practiced as much as possible. I eventually became good enough, to start a hack, and I made a sorry attempt on an Emerald ROM. I later found out, that Fire Red tiles are better than Emerald's, so I began to map on Fire Red. Not long after, I got offered a position on a hack as a mapper, and of course, I obliged. I mapped for him for a while, and then he quit the hack(It was a sorry hack), so I didn't know what to do. I applied to some teams, hoping to be able to map for somebody, and I got rejected from every one. I decided I needed to practice some more, so I did. Eventually I started my own hack(Pokémon: Secret Wishes for those of you who remember) and mapped for it. I began to progress into a fairly good mapper. I left this summer, and lost my ability to hack, so as soon as i got back, I began to make practice maps all the time. Soon, I became fairly good at it, again, and from there, I progressed even more. Now I am where I am at now.

#2 - Tile Inserting
~ When I first began hacking, all I could do, was map. I used the custom tiles, as I didn't have any sort of clue that they could be changed. Soon, I saw hacks with new tiles, and I began to wonder, how did they do that? I soon came across a document on how to insert tiles(poorly written, at that) and I got an idea how it was done. I was so excited that I found out how to change the tiles, I had to try it ASAP. Sadly, the document was in poor quality, and the instructions were wrong. One thing it did do, is give me a basic idea of how to insert them. I got irratated with the document being in poor quality, so I quit trying. Later, I got very bored with the same old tiles, so I dug up the document, and tried again. By that time, I had a little knowledge of hacking, so I saw a possible fix to the problem I had( I don't remember what it was...). I tried this out, and omg, it worked! I was estatic that I could add new tiles into my ROM, and make my maps different. I began inserting tiles all the time, and gradually got better at it. Now, I can insert just about any tile.

#3 - Scripting
~ Well, once I could map/insert tiles, I learned of scripting. I tried So hard to learn on my own looking at tutorials, but it didn't make any sense. Luckily, Itman(+Sneasel™) was there to help a brother out. He taught me how to script, step, by step. I learned quickly, and soon I began to grasp the basic concept of scripting. After a while, began to study scripting on my own, looking at tutorials. Soon, I was a borderline scripter, but about that time, I left for the summer, and lost all of my knowledge. I came back, and tried to re-learn it, and I am still trying.

 

[Megiddo-san]

My strongest skill is scripting. I first learned from itman1234 and then very much from thethethethe. Scripting is also my favorite part of hacking.

 

[poddish]

I would say my stronges skill is mapping.
Why?
Because I can make a decent map in just a few minutes.

However, the puzzles, and remade maps take longer because you have to think the puzzles through so they aren't too easy, or impossible, while remade maps you have to open up the older mapping tool or a website that has the whole map, which takes a while to remake because some things you have to change, and your a-map, or e-map is in the way so you constantly have to switch between them.

I don't know how good I am at scripting, because I can't figure out how to insert the scripts into the game, I need some one to tell me how. (I use xse...)

 

[Thrace]

I'm not sure actually. :/
I'm pretty good at both mapping and scripting. I _think_ that I'm marginally better at scripting because it s less creatively oriented. Thats not to say you don't need creativity to make a good script.

I prefer mapping over scripting though. ;D

 

[Gyaridos1992]

Hmm, the first thing I learned was Mapping. Then next I learned Scripting, then spriting.
The best thing IMO is Scripting though.

 

[Darthatron]

I'm a far better scripter than mapper. But I still think I'm a pretty good mapper. I can also sprite fairly well, considering I suck at all other types of graphics editing. :P Since I am a programmer scripting came easy to me. ^^

 

[Hiche..]

Okay here goes.

#1 - Mapping.
~ When I first got into ROM hacking, the only thing I saw, was mapping. I found out about A-Map, and downloaded it ASAP. I began to work secluded mapping. At first the maps I cranked out were...bad-ish. I posted them on the Map Rating Thread, and REALLY listened to the people's tips. I took them to heart, and practiced as much as possible. I eventually became good enough, to start a hack, and I made a sorry attempt on an Emerald ROM. I later found out, that Fire Red tiles are better than Emerald's, so I began to map on Fire Red. Not long after, I got offered a position on a hack as a mapper, and of course, I obliged. I mapped for him for a while, and then he quit the hack(It was a sorry hack), so I didn't know what to do. I applied to some teams, hoping to be able to map for somebody, and I got rejected from every one. I decided I needed to practice some more, so I did. Eventually I started my own hack(Pokémon: Secret Wishes for those of you who remember) and mapped for it. I began to progress into a fairly good mapper. I left this summer, and lost my ability to hack, so as soon as i got back, I began to make practice maps all the time. Soon, I became fairly good at it, again, and from there, I progressed even more. Now I am where I am at now.

#2 - Tile Inserting
~ When I first began hacking, all I could do, was map. I used the custom tiles, as I didn't have any sort of clue that they could be changed. Soon, I saw hacks with new tiles, and I began to wonder, how did they do that? I soon came across a document on how to insert tiles(poorly written, at that) and I got an idea how it was done. I was so excited that I found out how to change the tiles, I had to try it ASAP. Sadly, the document was in poor quality, and the instructions were wrong. One thing it did do, is give me a basic idea of how to insert them. I got irratated with the document being in poor quality, so I quit trying. Later, I got very bored with the same old tiles, so I dug up the document, and tried again. By that time, I had a little knowledge of hacking, so I saw a possible fix to the problem I had( I don't remember what it was...). I tried this out, and omg, it worked! I was estatic that I could add new tiles into my ROM, and make my maps different. I began inserting tiles all the time, and gradually got better at it. Now, I can insert just about any tile.

#3 - Scripting
~ Well, once I could map/insert tiles, I learned of scripting. I tried So hard to learn on my own looking at tutorials, but it didn't make any sense. Luckily, Itman(+Sneasel™) was there to help a brother out. He taught me how to script, step, by step. I learned quickly, and soon I began to grasp the basic concept of scripting. After a while, began to study scripting on my own, looking at tutorials. Soon, I was a borderline scripter, but about that time, I left for the summer, and lost all of my knowledge. I came back, and tried to re-learn it, and I am still trying.

Very nice. You know three of them :D Nice way of posting how you got into these skills.

 

[zel 2.0]

Dont know if it really is my strongest, but surely is the one I enjoy more: scripting. It's really simple, scripts create new events in the game, without new scripts the game, despite looking cool, would "feel" too much like the original... Alright, that may depend on the hacker's skills (Baro's Quartz didnt have that many new scripts but it still felt as something quite different), but I'm an extremist, I want to see A LOT of new events on the hack, that's why I decided to take the path of scripting.

Being honest, I dont think I'm that great of a scripter, there's a lot of commands I'm really not interested in getting involved with, and I should be updating my head's scripting database sometime. Still, I think it's the area that you could say I'm better at.